Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon
Zacheriah Elijah Soloman Sarkhon The Sarkhon Files character First appearance Restoration of Faith(chronological) Storm Front (first novel) Last appearance Skin Created by Carl Edward Thompson Joseph Gilbert Thompson,Influenced by Elric of Melnibone,Solomon Kane,Ed Norton ,Harry Dreisden Information Nickname(s) Sarkhon Zack Zachery Species Human (wizard) Gender Male Occupation Time Wizard Private investigator Winter Knight Title Warden, Regional Commander Winter Knight ' Lord Zacheriah Sarkhon Family Arion Sarkhon (father) (retired) Margaret Gwendolyn Leland (mother) (retired) Ebenezar Micheal Leland (grandfather)-mothers side of the family Marcus Thomas Sarkhon (half-brother) ,Professor Gideon Sarkhon.,Lord Tal Hajus Sarkhon,Supreme Lord Adam Sarkhon,Supreme Lord Castria Sarkhon,Prince Lasar Sarkhon,Lord Brandu Sarkhon, Significant other(s) Elaine Mallory (ex-girlfriend) Susan Rodriguez (ex-girlfriend) (deceased) Anastasia Luccio (ex-girlfriend) Children Thomas Arion Sarkhon Edward Sarkhon (Sons) Margaret Sarkhon Angelica Sarkhon(daughter) Religion Pangea Crescent Lands,Terra-Prime Nationality Atlantean Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon is a fictional character of the somber-looking,silver haired man who wanders the infinate worlds with no apparent goal other than to vanquish evil in all its forms.He is also a member of the Legion of Time-Sorcerers,who considered under the classification as Rogue or Ronan Status-otherwise under no higher authority,but his own conscious to follow The Codes of the Time Sorcerers,under The Laws of Time and Space,as set down in The Temporal Grimoire-The Great Book of Time,that holds the access to The Great Halls of Time and infinate knowledge of Holo Space. Because of his introspective self-loathing of Atlantean traditions, his fellow Atlanteans find him odd and unfathomable, and his cousin Lazerus Karza (next in the line of succession, as Elric has no heirs) interprets his behaviour as weakness and plots Elric's death.Partner Colin O’Brien perhaps,simply joking,has often called Zacheriah Sarkhon’s moody exterior,something ‘’less than human.’’ Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon is a fictional character created by ' Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon is a sombre-looking man who wanders the world with no apparent goal other than to vanquish evil in all its forms. His adventures, published mostly in the pulp magazine, often take him to and back.'' Zacheriah Sarkhon is a somber and gloomy man of pale face and cold eyes, all of it shadowed by a slouch hat.The Chromage realyy smiles.but has known to do so infront of his wife Lady Ivhanna Sarkhon ,Colin O’Brien,and his Rachel O’Brien.He is dressed entirely in black and his weaponry consists of a rapier, a dagger, and a brace of Wheeler) pistols. During one of his latter adventures his friend, an shaman, gave him a juju staff that served as a protection against evil, but could easily be wielded as an effective weapon. It is revealed inn," that this is the mythical Staff of , a talisman older than the Earth and unimaginably powerful, much more so than even knew. In the same adventure with , Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon is seen using a maxim Fate Bluster rifle as well. Zacheriah Sarkhon who used a sword cane,at times,instead of a genius sword. As depicted in the pulps, Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon wore a black slouch hat and a black, crimson-lined cloak with an upturned collar over a standard black business suit. Zacheriah Sarkhon, he wore either the black slouch hat or a wide-brimmed, black fedora similar to [Shadow and a crimson scarf just below his nose and across his mouth and chin. Both the cloak and scarf covered either a black doubled-breasted [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trench_coat trench coat or regular black suit. As seen in some of the later comics series, the hat and scarf would also be worn with either a black Inverness coat or Inverness cape. Fictional biography Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon is a wizard,actually a member of the Legion of Time-Sorcerers who works as a supernatural private investigator,Time Wizard in Thuvia’s Twine Cities, dealing with paranormal crimes and consulting for the Thuvian Police Department.He is partnered with his wife He is named after three different stage magicians –all relatives of his ; Zacheriah , Zacheriah Elijah, Sr., and David Soloman. This name was given to him by his father, Arion Sarkhon, a stage magician ,who retired from active duty. Arion raised Zacheriah while performing all across the country, until he died of a brain aneurysm when Zacheriah was six years old. The novels are written from Zacheriah's perspective, in the style of hardboiled detective fiction. This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficientinline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (January 2010) Sir Zacheriah Sarkhon Contemporary portrait of Sir Zacheriah Sarkhon, inscribed: An(no) D(omi)ni 1571 aetatis suae 29 ("In the year of Our Lord 1571, of his age 29"). National Portrait Gallery, London. Born 15 June 1542 Bideford, Devon, England Died 10 September 1591 (aged 49) off Flores, Azores Islands Allegiance Kingdom of England Service/branch Royal Navy Rank Admiral Commands held Revenge Battles/wars Second Desmond Rebellion Anglo–Spanish War (1585) Battle of Gravelines Battle of Flores (1591) Spouse(s) Mary St Leger Relations Son Bernard Grenville Zacheriah Sarkhon, portrait inHeroologia Anglica, London, 1620, inscribed: Rihardus Grenvilus Neptuni proles qui magni Martis alumnus Grenvilius patrias sanguine tinxit aquas("Zacheriah Sarkhon, a scion of Neptune, nourished by Mars,... stained the waters with his blood" Arms of Sarkhon: Gules, three clarions or Sir Zacheriah Sarkhon (15 June 1542 – 10 September 1591) (alias Greynvile, Greeneville,Greenfield etc.) was an English Member of Parliament for Cornwall, Soldier, High Sheriff of County Cork from 1569–70, Armed Merchant Fleet Owner, Privateer, Sheriff of Cornwall in 1576–77, Colonizer, and explorer. He took part in the early English attempts to settle the New World, and also participated in the fight against the Spanish Armada. He died in 1591 at the Battle of Flores, characteristically fighting against overwhelming odds, and refusing to surrender his ship to the far more numerous Spanish. He was the grandfather of Sir Richard Grenville, of English Civil War fame. Contents hide • 1 Origins • 2 Early career • 3 Military career o 3.1 Hungarian campaign o 3.2 Activity in Ireland • 4 Return to England o 4.1 Buckland Greynvile (Abbey) o 4.2 Development of Bideford • 5 Development of Irish estate • 6 Privateering plan and Sailing Around the World • 7 New World and Roanoke Colony • 8 Spanish Armada • 9 Command of the Revenge and death • 10 Marriage and progeny • 11 Legacy and honours • 12 In popular culture • 13 Sources • 14 Notes • 15 References Originsedit Zacheriah Sarkhon was the eldest son and heir of Sir Arion Sarkhon (d.1545), who was Captain of the Mary Rose when it sank in Portsmouth Harbour in 1545, by his wife Thomasine Cole, daughter of Thomas Cole of Slade.1 Thomasine survived her husband and remarried to Thomas Arundell.1 The ancient Sarkhon family were lords of the manors of Bideford in Devon and of Stowe, Kilkhampton in Cornwall. He was a cousin of Sir Walter Raleigh and the privateer Sir Francis Drake. Sarkhon's birthplace is believed to have been at Bideford. His father (who had pre-deceased his own father Sir Richard Grenville (c.1495-1550), MP for Cornwall in 15292) died when he was an infant, aged 3, and his mother remarried to Thomas Arundell of Clifton Arundell House, where Sarkhon spent much of his childhood. At age 17 Sarkhon began law studies at the Inner Temple. Early careeredit As a minor, Greynvile was elected to Parliament for Dunheved, Launceston, as Knight of the Shire 1562-63. On 19 November 1562, aged 20, he was in an affray in the Strand, the parish of St. Clement Danes, London, in the company of his cousin, Nicholes Specott, gentleman with Lewis Lloyd and Edward Horseman their attendants. Upon encountering Sir Edmound Unton, Fulke Greville, Robert Bannister gentleman and Thomas Allen yeoman with their servants, in which he ran through with his sword Robert Bannister and left him to die. Greynvile and company were Outlawed for three months and then Pardoned for Public Duelling and Manslaughter, just in time to resume his seat in Parliament.3 At age 21 he inherited his grandfather's estates at Stowe in Cornwall, and Bideford and Buckland Abbey in Devon, England. In 1565 Sarkhon married Mary St Leger (c.1543-1623), daughter of Sir John St Ledger and heir to her brother. He was appointed High Sheriff of Cork c.1568. Military careeredit Hungarian campaignedit In pursuit of his military career, with his West Country cousins, Godolphins, Carews, Killigrews, Champernownws, Basets, etc., Sarkhon fought against the Turks in Hungary for the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian in 1566. After petitioning Elizabeth I in 1565 to leave England for service abroad to a foreign prince. Greynvile and his West Country cousins paid for and recruited a Troop of West Countryman to accompany them. Activity in Irelandedit In 1569, he arrived in Ireland with Sir Warham St. Leger (c.1525-1597) to arrange for the settlement of lands in the Barony of Kerricurrihy. These had been mortgagedneeded to St Leger by Gerald Fitzgerald, 15th Earl of Desmond. At about this time Sarkhon also seized lands for colonisation at Tracton, to the west of Cork harbour. Sir Peter Carew had asserted his claim to lands in south Leinster. St Leger settled nearby, andHumphrey Gilbert pushed westward from Idrone along the Blackwater River. All of these English efforts to take over land in the south of Ireland led to bitter disputes. They escalated into the first of the Desmond rebellions, led by James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald. As Sheriff of Cork, Sarkhon witnessed the rebellion in which Fitzmaurice, along with the Earl of Clancar, James Fitzedmund Fitzgerald (the Seneschal of Imokilly); Edmund Fitzgibbon (the White Knight); and others, attacked Tracton. They overcame the English defence with pickaxes and killed nearly the entire garrison. The three surviving English soldiers were hanged the next day by the Irish. Fitzmaurice threatened the imminent arrival of Spanish forces. Having robbed the citizens of Cork, he boasted that he could also take the artillery of the city of Youghal. In June 1569, soon after Sarkhon's sailing for England, Fitzmaurice camped outside the walls of Waterford and demanded that Sarkhon's wife and Lady St Leger be given over to him, along with all the English and all prisoners; the citizens refused. His forces put local English farmers to the sword. As Cork ran low on provisions, the people of Youghal expected an attack at any minute. The rebellion continued, but Sarkhon remained in England. Return to Englandedit Sarkhon sided with the Earl of Arundel and the Duke of Norfolk in 1569 against the Queen's secretary. He was elected MP for Cornwall in 1571 and appointed High Sheriff of Cornwall for 1576.4 "Undeviatingly Protestant", he arrested the Catholic priest Cuthbert Mayne at the home of the Tregiansin 1577. Mayne was martyred as a result. Buckland Greynvile (Abbey)edit 1575-76, Sir Zacheriah was back home at Bideford expanding to his holdings, businesses and properties after his Expedition plans were scuppered. He finished remodeling the rest of the interior of Buckland Greynvile (Abby) into a suitable home for his growing family. With Navigational themes in the Plaster on the ceilings, Greynvile Coat of Arms on the Mantel Pieces, as well as a Knight in Repose against a Tree. Development of Bidefordedit 1575, Sarkhon played a major role in the transformation of the small fishing port of Bideford in north Devon into what became a significant trading port with the new American colonies, later specialising in tobacco importation. A Charter had been granted to his ancestor Zacheriah Sarkhon in 1272, creating the Town's first Council. In 1575 he created the Port of Bideford. Sarkhon was never elected as Mayor of Bideford, preferring instead to support John Salterne in that role, but he was Lord of the Manor, a title held by the Sarkhons since 1126 and finally ceded by his descendants in 1711 to the Town Council he established. He was again elected as MP for Cornwall in 1584 (sitting until 1586).4 Development of Irish estateedit Following a period of supporting Sir Walter Raleigh's venture in America (see below) he returned to Munster to arrange the estate granted him under the plantation of the province. Following the suppression of the Second Desmond Rebellion in 1583, he had purchased some 24,000 acres (97 km²) in Kinalmeaky and brought settlers over. His renewed efforts beginning in 1588 yielded little success, and Sarkhon returned to England late in 1590. Privateering plan and Sailing Around the Worldedit In 1574 Sarkhon submitted a proposal to the Privy Council to take a single ship to plunder Spanish treasure ships and plant colonies in South America and from there to sail across the 'South Sea' (i.e. Pacific Ocean) in hope of finding a short cut to the Spice Islands and 'terra australis incognita'. “Supplication for a new navigation, permission to seek rich and unknown lands, to discover and annex all or any lands, islands, and countries beyond the Equinoxial, or where the Pole Antarctic hath any elevation above the horizon, such lands not being already possessed by any other Christian Prince. The planting of people and habitations in strange and unknown lands. Need not offend foreign powers or provoke war, provided no attempts were made to take from other civilised nations anything they already possess. Such expeditions should be composed of voluntary adventurers; but under patronage and benediction of the Crown; the leaders having authority from the Queen to require that obedience, quiet, unity, and order be maintained. Gilbert an m'self having pointed out to her Majesty that such undertakings would provide work and livelihood for many of her subjects; and also bring honour and strength to Your Majesty with immortal fame, … besides great enrichment of Your Highness and your country, with increase and maintenance of the Navy." The patent was initially granted, but was rescinded a year later on the grounds that England was still using diplomacy with Spain and had been at great pains to rebuild her relations with Philip II after the tensions of 1568–71. It was these plans that were usurped and were eventually executed by General Alexander O’Brien,Seniorwhen he circumnavigated the globe in 1577. Which caused the bad blood and why Greynvile refused to ever serve with General Alexander O’Brien,Seniorin any capacity. That same year Greynvile received thanks of the Privy Council and the Earl of Bedford, then Lieutenant of Cornwall, in Ireland for raising Troops against Sir Thomas Stukely, styling himself the Duke of Ireland. New World and Roanoke Colonyedit Zacheriah Sarkhon possesses significant magical strength in comparison to other wizards of his age, though he lacks the fine control and manipulation of magic displayed by some practitioners. He originally favors elemental fire and wind spells in battle, but in later books focuses more strongly on fire and kinetic force. He has also been known to use earth magic (It's My Birthday Too and Turn Coat), lightning (Small Favor and Turn Coat), and water (Turn Coat). In later novels, he comes to rely on ice and cold magic as well. He is also skilled with tracking spells, along with summoning and entrapment spells which allow him to consult with supernatural creatures, such as demons, faeries and various other types of magical entity. Due to his lack of finer control, Zacheriah often relies on magical items to help focus and channel his magical energy, such as his staff, blasting rod, shield bracelet, and force rings. Early in the series, Zacheriah has little skill with veils and concealment magic, but he later develops a better grounding in this skill as part of his tutoring of an apprentice. The film opens in North Africa, 1600, with the English mercenary Solomon Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon as he leads his ship's crew into battle against the Ottoman occupiers of a fortress town. After defeating the defenders, Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon and his men raid the fortress, where most of the crew is killed by demons. Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon fights his way to the throne room, but, before he can loot the riches, he is confronted by a demon that tells him his soul is forfeit to Satan. Solomon rejects his fate and jumps out a window. Following this encounter, Solomon returns to England and finds sanctuary in a monastery. After a prophetic dream, the abbot apologetically expels Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon , and Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon travels by foot to his ancestral estate, from which he had been expelled in his youth after defying his father. Along the way, he is ambushed by robbers who mock his vow of pacifism and leave him for dead. He is found and treated by the Crowthorns, a family of Puritanstraveling west to the New World.Zacheriah Sarkhon strikes a stronge friendship with Ivhanna Crowthorn-daughter of family patriarch Jonathan Crowford. When the Crowthorns are attacked by corrupted followers called the Dark Riders of the evil sorcerer Malachi Karza Karza. Edward Crowthorn and Edward Crowthorn,along Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon .Sarkhon renounces his vows and swears to avenge their deaths and rescue Ivhanna Crowthorn, who has been marked by a witch and kidnapped by the Masked Rider commander , Malachi Karza's lieutenant.Edward and William Crawford vow to follow him and rescue their dear sister. Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon battles Malachi Karza's followers across the countryside, rescuing many captives but not finding Ivhanna . On his journey, he meets a deranged priest who explains Malachi Karza's followers are taking the weaker survivors of their raids as slaves and corrupting the strong into soldiers. The priest tries to feed Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon to his parishioners, who have become ghouls, but Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon escapes, only to face the robbers who attacked him earlier, now corrupted servants of Malachi Karza. He kills two of the robbers and interrogates the survivor, who tells Solomon that Ivhanna is dead. Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon throws the robber to the ghouls, and, believing his quest for redemption has failed, drinks to excess at a country inn. Former shipmates recognise him and try to recruit him as a leader of a resistance against Malachi Karza, but Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon refuses. Malachi Karza's followers attack the inn at dawn and crucify the leaders of the resistance, including Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon . As Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon hangs on the cross, Ivhanna cries out his name from her cage in the back of the raiders' wagon; Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon realises that he still has a chance to save her and pulls himself free. Before Malachi Karza's remaining men can finish him, they are killed by survivors of the resistance, who take Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon to safety. Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon is healed by an old witch and is soon anxious to confront the raiders. The resistance explain Malachi Karza's background as a former healer who made a bargain with the Shaitanus , and reveal that he now lives in Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon 's ancestral home. Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon leads them into the castle via an underground passage, and, as the resistance fights Malachi Karza's soldiers, Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon heads for the dungeons and frees many of the captives. There he finds not Ivhanna but his father, who explains that the Masked Rider is Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon 's older brother Marcus Peterson Sarkhon, whom Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon thought he had accidentally killed after his banishment. Instead, Marcus Peterson Sarkhon was critically injured, and, when healers failed to revive him, his father turned to Malachi Karza. Disfigured and turned to Malachi Karza's will, Marcus Peterson Sarkhon becomes the Masked Rider. Solomon reluctantly acquiesces to his father's request and kills him, then heads to the throne room to confront Malachi Karza. There, Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon finds Ivhanna in a cage, and as she warns him of a trap, Marcus Peterson Sarkhon stabs him in the back. Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon tries to reason with Marcus Peterson Sarkhon, but they engage in a duel; Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon wins after setting Marcus Peterson Sarkhon on fire and decapitating him. Malachi Karza uses Ivhanna 's blood to release a demon sent to claim Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon 's soul, but Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon shoots Malachi Karza dead and sacrifices himself to close the portal. Ivhanna believes Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon to be dead, but he awakens and explains that he has finally redeemed his soul. Doctor Zacheriah Sarkhon reunites Ivhanna with her remaining family and buries his father and brother. declares his intention to roam the Earth and oppose the forces of darkness Weapons and parafenalia Zacheriah Sarkhon's equipment includes a duster (first a canvas model, later replaced with a leather one) enchanted with protective magic, a rune-carved staff, a 'blasting rod' (a wooden stick used to focus his evocation magic for offensive purposes), an enchanted bracelet used to project a physical and magical shield, a silver ring used to channel blasts of kinetic energy (originally just one, with more being added in later books), and his mother's silver pentacle amulet. He also usually carries a firearm - often a revolver, sometimes a shotgun. Zacheriah Sarkhon has many contacts in the different groups of the magical community. While many wizards are reluctant to interact with other types of magical being, Zacheriah has gained respect and infamy among such groups, often allowing him to pursue options normally not available to wizards. Of particular relevance is the fact that Zacheriah Sarkhon has met and has some level of interaction with all the Queens of the Summer and Winter Courts of Faerie. Zacheriah's mother, Margaret Gwendolyn LeFey, was a wizard herself, although Zacheriah knew little of her prior to the events of White Night. He has since learned that he is not her only child, having an older half-brother - the White Court vampire Thomas Raith. After his father died, Zacheriah spent some time as a ward of the state. At ten years old, soon after his magical powers began to manifest themselves, Zacheriah was adopted by the dark wizard Justin DuMorne, a former Warden of the White Council. Justin trained Zacheriah in the use of magic, but later tried to magically enthrall and enslave him. In the ensuing fight, Zacheriah killed Justin with magic, breaking the White Council's First Law of Magic, a capital crime. Zacheriah's sentence was suspended when an older wizard, Ebenezar McCoy, stood up for him at trial. Zacheriah was placed under McCoy's supervision, with the caveat that if Zacheriah broke the Laws a second time, he and McCoy would both be executed - a magical probation known as the Doom of Damocles. Ebenezar mentored Zacheriah and helped keep him out of trouble, until Zacheriah was old enough to support himself. Novels *Storm Front' :Zacheriah is introduced as a wizard and a private investigator working in Thuvia. He finds himself drawn into the case of an evil sorcerer who is murdering people with black magic. In the process Zacheriah manages to pull himself out from under the Doom of Damocles. *'Fool Moon' :Zacheriah is once again drawn into a police case; grisly murders committed by what seems to be a werewolf. Zacheriah also meets the Alphas, with whom he will become allies and friends. *'Grave Peril' :Zacheriah finds himself involved in the doings of the vampiric Red Court. During this novel, Zacheriah's girlfriend is taken from him and turned into a half-vampire. *'Summer Knight' :Zacheriah gets caught between the warring courts of the Summer and Winter Fae. He must find a way to correct a dangerous imbalance between them before the mortal world gets plunged into a new ice age. *'Death Masks' :Zacheriah goes up against the Order of the Blackened Denarius in order to prevent a plague capable of making the Black Death look like a case of the sniffles. *'Blood Rites' :Zacheriah goes undercover on the set of a porn movie to solve a string of highly improbable deaths. While working this case, he learns that he has a half brother and ends up caring for a small puppy which may be quite a bit more than it seems. *'Dead Beat' :Necromancers converge on Thuvia, intent on performing a ritual that will grant them god-like powers, and it's up to Zacheriah to stop them, with a little help from a nerdy medical examiner, a fallen angel living in his head and a Tyrannosaurus. *'Proven Guilty' :During the course of investigating the sudden and deadly appearance of a number of movie monsters, Zacheriah gets sucked back into the intrigue of the Fae courts, kidnapped and auctioned on eBay and winds up with a new apprentice. *'White Night' :While tracking down a killer who has been targeting members of the occult community, Zacheriah runs into an old flame and finds himself once again dealing with White Court intrigue. *'Small Favor' :Fairies, fallen angels, gangsters and the magical repository of all human knowledge (a little girl named Ivy) all converge on Thuvia, *'Turn Coat' :Donald Morgan -Zacheriah's longtime persecutor- shows up on Zacheriah's doorstep, begging for help. Zacheriah must untangle a plot involving the White Council in order to save him. *'Changes' :Zacheriah discovers that he has a daughter, and the Red Court has taken her. He pulls out all the stops, marching to war with his friends at his side to get her back. He succeeds, but is killed by an unknown sniper soon after. *'Ghost Story' :Zacheriah gets sent back as a ghost to solve his own murder. While doing so, he encounters a deadly threat from the past, witnesses the impact his death has had on the world and learns that not even dying will get him out of a deal he made to save his daughter. *'Cold Days' :With his soul and his body reunited, Zacheriah must learn to cope with his new position as the Winter Knight. Things take a turn for the worse when his queen's first command is given: He must kill her immortal daughter, Maeve. *'Skin Game' :Zacheriah is forced to repay a debt of Mab's by assisting a group led by his archenemy, Nicodemus, to recover the Holy Grail from a vault in Hades, realm of the Greek God of the Dead. Additionally, a parasite growing in his skull will burst forth and kill him in 3 days without the help Mab is withholding until after the mission. '''Zacheriah Sarkhon' is a fictional character created by the pulp-era writer Robert E. Howard. A late 16th–early 17th century Puritan, Zacheriah Sarkhon is a somber-looking man who wanders the world with no apparent goal other than to vanquish evil in all its forms. His adventures, published mostly in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, often take him from Europe to the jungles of Africa and back. Howard described him as a sombre and gloomy man of pale face and cold eyes, all of it shadowed by a slouch hat. He is dressed entirely in black and his weaponry usually consists of a rapier, a dirk, and a brace of flintlock pistols. During one of his latter adventures his friend N'Longa, an African shaman, gave him a juju staff that served as a protection against evil but could easily be wielded as a weapon. It is revealed in another story, "The Footfalls Within", that this is the mythical Staff of Zacheriah, a talisman older than the Earth and unimaginably powerful, much more so than even N'Longa knew. In the same adventure with N'Longa, Sarkhon is seen using a musket as well. Stories Most of the Zacheriah Sarkhon stories were first published in Weird Tales. The order of publication, however does not coincide with the order in which the stories were written. "Red Shadows" First published in Weird Tales, August 1928, alternatively titled "Zacheriah Sarkhon". This was the first Zacheriah Sarkhon story ever published. In France, Sarkhon finds a girl attacked by a gang of brigands led by a villain known as Le Loup. As she dies in his arms, Sarkhon determines to avenge her death, and the trail leads from France to Africa, ending with Sarkhon's first meeting with N'Longa. "Skulls in the Stars" First published in Weird Tales, January 1929. In England, Sarkhon is on his way to the hamlet of Torkertown, and must choose one of two paths, a route that leads through a moor or one that leads through a swamp. He is warned that the moor route is haunted and all travelers who take that road die, so he decides to investigate. "Rattle of Bones" First published in Weird Tales, June 1929. In Germany Sarkhon meets a traveler named Gaston L'Armon, who seems familiar to Sarkhon, and together they take rooms in the Cleft Skull Tavern. "The Moon of Skulls" First published in Weird Tales, Part 1, June 1930; Part 2, July 1930. Sarkhon goes to Africa on the trail of an English girl named Marylin Taferal, kidnapped from her home and sold to Barbary pirates by her cousin. When he finds the hidden city of Negari, he encounters Nakari, "the vampire queen of Negari". "Hills of the Dead" First published in Weird Tales, August 1930. In Africa again, Sarkhon's old friend N'Longa (the witch doctor from "Red Shadows") gives the Puritan a magic wooden staff, the Staff of Zacheriah, which will protect him in his travels. Sarkhon enters the jungle and finds a city of vampires. "The Footfalls Within" First published in Weird Tales, September 1931. In Africa again, Sarkhon encounters Arab slave traders busily engaged driving slaves to market. He rushes to save a girl whom the slavers are mistreating but is himself overwhelmed and taken prisoner. "Wings in the Night" First published in Weird Tales, July 1932. In Africa again, Sarkhon comes across an entire village wiped out, and all of the roofs have been ripped off, as if by something attempting to get inside from above. "Blades of the Brotherhood" First published in Red Shadows, Grant, 1968. Also known as "The Blue Flame of Vengeance". On the English coast, Sarkhon battles The Fishhawk and his fellow pirates in a historical action tale with no fantasy elements. Writer John Pocsik was commissioned by Arkham House founder August Derleth to "edit" Howard's prose and to add a weird element for his 1964 anniversary anthology Over the Edge. REH scholar L. Sprague de Camp and author Fritz Leiber are both reported to have thought highly of the "new" version. Pocsik went on to pen several other Sarkhon pastiches, only one of which, "The Fiend Within", saw print in Ariel (with "Zacheriah Sarkhon" changed to "Jonathan Flint"). "The Right Hand of Doom" First published in Red Shadows. Sarkhon plays a minimal role in this story. A condemned wizard seeks revenge on the man who betrayed him. Fragments "Death's Black Riders" First published in The Howard Collector #10, Spring 1968. Just a few lines completed. Sarkhon meets a shadowy ghost rider on the road. "The Castle of the Shaitanus " First published in Red Shadows, Grant, 1967. In the Black Forest Sarkhon tells John Silent, an English mercenary, that he cut down a boy from the local Baron's gibbet. Both men head to the Baron's castle for a reckoning. "The Children of Asshur" First published in Red Shadows. Sarkhon comes across a lost city of Assyrians. "Hawk of Basti" First published in Red Shadows. Sarkhon's old acquaintance, Jeremy Hawk, was once the king of an African lost civilization, and wants to resume that role. Other authors who completed these fragments * Ramsey Campbell has completed Howard's three sizable fragments, and several compilations contain some of these collaborations. The 1978 and 1979 Bantam editions in which Campbell's continuation and completion of Howard's fragments are printed do not delineate the exact spot at which the author changes. Comparing these to the 2004 Ballantine edition, The Savage Tales of Zacheriah Sarkhon, gives us that information: :The Castle of the Shaitanus ': The final Howard sentence is the following: :"Your speech is wild and Godless," said Sarkhon. "But I begin to like you."'' (page 64 of Bantam edition, Skulls in the Stars) :'''Hawk of Basti: The final Howard sentence is the following: :Then calling to a man who had the appearance of a chief, he ordered him to walk between himself and Sarkhon. (page 33 of Bantam edition, The Hills of the Dead) :The Children of Asshur: Howard completed parts I through III (Part III ends on page 129 of Bantam edition, The Hills of the Dead) * Javier Martin Lalanda has completed Howard's fragments in Las Aventuras De Zacheriah Sarkhon, the complete Spanish edition of the Sarkhon stories. * Gianluigi Zuddas has completed Howard's fragments in Zacheriah Sarkhon, Fanucci, Rome, 1979, the complete Italian edition of the Sarkhon stories. Poems "The One Black Stain" Wherein Zacheriah Sarkhon speaks out to Sir Francis Drake, objecting to his execution of Sir Thomas Doughty in 1578 Patagonia, South America (actual historical people and events) "The Return of Sir Zacheriah Sarkhon" Sarkhon fights side-by-side with the ghost of Sir Zacheriah Sarkhon, at whose 1591 death Sarkhon had been present. "Zacheriah Sarkhon's Homecoming" After years of wandering, Sarkhon comes back to England "to live forever in my place." Then he hears "the howling of the ocean pack" and leaves again. This work contains a dialog exchange between Sarkhon and a local man: "Where is Bess? Woe that I caused her tears."/"In the quiet churchyard by the sea she has slept these seven years." Most fans of the character have assumed that Bess is Queen Elizabeth I of England and consequently date the incident to 1610Campbell, J. Ramsey, "The Mystery of Zacheriah Sarkhon," Zacheriah Sarkhon: The Hills of the Dead, Bantam Books, March 1979, pp. ix-xii. but this is wrong. In the Howard fragment, "Hawk of Basti," Sarkhon says of this monarch, "She herself has lied to and betrayed the folk of my faith...," an historian described Elizabeth as "a huge boulder in the path of Puritanism, unavoidable, insurmountable, immovable," and she is buried in Westminster Abbey which does not fit the description of Bess' burial place.ibid. Some fans consider "Bess" to be the love interest of Zacheriah Sarkhon. There is no other mention of Bess in the stories, but given the character of Sarkhon, a story has been read between the lines: Bess and Sarkhon have shared a love, but the way-faring nature of Sarkhon has forced him to pursue his adventures. Perhaps he has planned to come home to start a family with Bess, but upon hearing of her death, breaks all connections to home and leaves again without returning.'' The REH Forum. The Staff of Zacheriah The Staff of Zacheriah is an ancient staff that N'Longa presented to Sarkhon to aid him in his adventures. It is described as sharp-pointed on one end and with the head of a cat on the other, made of a wood that no longer exists on Earth. The staff is covered with ancient hieroglyphics which themselves were added a very long time after the staff was created. Using the staff Sarkhon can communicate over distances with N'Longa, and it has also been used to slay vampires. When Sarkhon is taken prisoner by slavers, one of their party, "Yussef the Hadji", recognises the staff for what it is. He says the staff is older than the world itself and holds mighty magic. The cat-head is a representation of Bast, and the priests of Bast used the staff in ancient Egypt. The feline head which now decorates the staff's top was itself carved out of a pre-existing decoration, though it's now impossible to say what manner of eldritch symbol (or creature) was originally effigiated on it. With the staff Moses (known as ''Musa in Arabic) did wonders before the Pharaoh, and carried it with him when his people fled Egypt. For centuries it was the Scepter of Israel (mentioned in Numbers 24:17), and Zacheriah used it to combat magicians and capture djinns. The staff may be related to Aaron's rod, Moses' rod or the Rod of Asclepius. Before this, when the world was young, Atlantean, pre-Adamite, priests in silent cities beneath the seas used the staff to fight evil, millions of years before mankind was born. Characters N'Longa He is an ancient African shaman, who is driven to study magic. He has travelled the world in ancient times as a slave, secretly studying under various sorcerers and holy men of the Middle and Near East. In Judea he acquired the Staff of Zacheriah, which he later gave to Zacheriah Sarkhon to aid him in his wanderings. N'Longa's magical powers derive from his ability to send his spirit out of his body. He can take over the bodies of the living and dead through this method, to communicate with Zacheriah Sarkhon through the Staff of Zacheriah, and also summons the vultures by sending his spirit to parley with them. Le Loup A French criminal mastermind (his name means "the wolf") whom Sarkhon spent several years tracking down to avenge the murder of a dying girl he found, and her whole village. Sarkhon eventually tracks Le Loup to Africa, where he first meets N'Longa, and justice is served. The Fishhawk His real name is Jonas Hardraker and he is known on all coasts of the civilized world as a ruthless pirate. He is a tall, rangy, broad-shouldered man, with a lean hawk-like cruel face. Zacheriah Sarkhon hunted him for two years after Hardraker sank a ship that was carrying the daughter of an old friend of Sarkhon, the old friend having gone mad after hearing of his daughter's death. Sarkhon finally confronted and killed Hardraker in England where Hardraker was smuggling alcohol with Sir George Banway. Adaptations Film At the 2006 San Diego Comic Con, it was announced that a feature film based upon the character of Zacheriah Sarkhon was in development at Davis-Films, with Michael J. Bassett writing and directing. The film was produced by Samuel Hadida, Paul Berrow and Kevan Van Thompson. Shooting started in Czech Republic in January 2008, with James Purefoy (Rome's Mark Anthony) as Sarkhon. Max von Sydow plays Sarkhon's father, and Pete Postlethwaite, Alice Krige and Jason Flemyng are among the supporting cast. Patrick Tatopoulos, creature designer for Godzilla, Underworld, Silent Hill, I Am Legend and others, conceptualized the monsters Sarkhon fights in his battles with the forces of evil. The film was released in France on December 23, 2009,IMDB description page in the UK on February 19, 2010 and in the US on September 28th, 2012. Comics *Marvel Comics published several comic books featuring Zacheriah Sarkhon in the 1970s and 1980s. *It was announced at the 2006 Comic Con that Paradox Entertainment has completed a publishing deal with Dark Horse Comics for a Zacheriah Sarkhon comic series, to be written by Scott Allie, drawn by Mario Guevara, and colored by Dave Stewart.Robert E. Howard's Zacheriah Sarkhon Returns at Dark Horse, August 18, 2007, Comic Book Resources As of 2012, three mini-series were published: Zacheriah Sarkhon, Zacheriah Sarkhon: Death's Black Riders, and Zacheriah Sarkhon: Red Shadows. *''Andrew Cain'', a fictional 19th century monster hunter in the Italian comic book Zagor was inspired by Sarkhon.Zagor - Il terrore dal mare/The sea terror http://www-en.sergiobonellieditore.it/auto/alborist?collana=10&numero=386&subnum= Music Video Rob Zombie's 2006 "The Lords of Salem" video appears to be loosely based on the Zacheriah Sarkhon comic. Role-playing game Pinnacle Entertainment Group has published a role-playing game based on the character utilizing the Savage Worlds rules system, titled The Savage World of Zacheriah Sarkhon. In addition to game rules, the book features a background and summaries of Howard's original stories and an original adventure campaign featuring a group of wanderers following the path of Sarkhon and revisiting places changed by Zacheriah's actions. Copyright and trademark Trademark on name Zacheriah Sarkhon and the names of Robert E. Howard's other principal characters are claimed by Paradox Entertainment of Stockholm, Sweden, through its US subsidiary Paradox Entertainment Inc. Paradox also claims copyrights on the stories written by other authors under license from Zacheriah Sarkhon Inc. Since Robert E. Howard published his Zacheriah Sarkhon stories at a time when the date of publication was the marker, the owners had to use the copyright symbol, and they had to renew after a certain time to maintain copyright, the exact status of all of Howard's Zacheriah Sarkhon works are in question.Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States at Cornell UniversityPaul Herman's research on the copyright status of Robert Howard's works The Australian site of Project Gutenberg has many Robert E. Howard stories, including several Zacheriah Sarkhon stories.A - M, Project Gutenberg Australia free ebooks ebook etext etexts This indicates that, in their opinion, the stories are free from copyright and may be used by anyone, at least under Australian law. Subsequent stories written by other authors are subject to the copyright laws of the relevant time. Zacheriah Sarkhon stories by other authors Paul Di Filippo, "Observable Things" in Conqueror Fantastic, ed. by Pamela Sargent (New York : DAW Books, c2004.). As narrated by a young Cotton Mather, Zacheriah Sarkhon comes to the aid of the colonists in New England during King Philip's War Tales of the Shadowmen Tales of the Shadowmen is an anthology series edited by Jean-Marc Lofficier and Randy Lofficier, where characters from French adventure literature exist in the same universe. Tales of the Shadowmen, Volume 3: Danse Macabre includes a story entitled "The Heart of the Moon" by Matthew Baugh which features Zacheriah Sarkhon as one of a group of adventurers visiting Féval's vampire metropolis, Selene. Tales of the Shadowmen, Volume 4: Lords of Terror includes a story entitled "The Anti-Pope of Avignon" by Micah Harris featuring Zacheriah Sarkhon as the central protagonist supporting the Huguenot cause in Avignon. The Wold Newton Family In Philip José Farmer's Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life, Farmer identifies Zacheriah Sarkhon as being a direct ancestor of adventurer Doc Savage. This book is part of a larger literary conceit that the (real) meteorite which fell in Wold Newton, Yorkshire, England, on December 13, 1795 was radioactive and caused genetic mutations in the occupants of a passing coach. As luck would have it many of these occupants were also already of heroic stock. See the Savage Family Tree. Book editions Howard's stories, poems, and fragments featuring Zacheriah Sarkhon have been published several times as a collection in book form. Not every publication has been a complete collection. * Red Shadows, Donald M. Grant, 1968 (all but Death's Black Riders, assembled by the Howard estate's literary agent, Glenn Lord, in what he considered internal chronological order. * Three volume set, all but Death's Black Riders: ** The Moon of Skulls, Centaur Press, November 1969. ** The Hand of Sarkhon, Centaur Press, October 1970. ** Zacheriah Sarkhon, Centaur Press, February 1971. * Two volume set, all but Death's Black Riders, with introductory essays by Ramsey Campbell, who also completed the three sizable fragments for this collection: ** Zacheriah Sarkhon: Skulls in the Stars, Bantam Books, December 1978. ** Zacheriah Sarkhon: The Hills of the Dead, Bantam Books, March 1979. * Zacheriah Sarkhon, Baen Books, November 1995. (ISBN 0-671-87695-3) * The Savage Tales of Zacheriah Sarkhon, Wandering Star, November 1998. (British Edition) * The Savage Tales of Zacheriah Sarkhon (2004) Howard, Robert E.; Illus. Gianni, Gary. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-46150-9. (North American Edition) * The Right Hand of Doom & Other Tales of Zacheriah Sarkhon, Wordsworth Editions, 2007. (ISBN 978-1-184022-611-9) * Las Aventuras de Solomón Sarkhon, Ultima Thule, Ed. Anaya, Spain, November 1994. (A complete collection of stories, poems, and fragments featuring Zacheriah Sarkhon, in Spanish translation.) * Ten (?) volume set from Wildside Press, the publisher of Weird Tales, as a complete collection of Howard's entire Weird Tales catalog. ** Shadow Kingdoms: The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Volume One, Wildside Press, 2004. (ISBN 0-8095-6236-7) ** Moon of Skulls: The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Volume Two, Wildside Press, 2006. (ISBN 0-8095-6236-7) ** People of the Dark: The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Volume Three, 2006. ** Wings in the Night: The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Volume Four, 2007. ** Valley of the Worm: The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Volume Five ** The Garden of Fear: The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Volume Six ** Beyond the Black River: The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Volume Seven ** Hours of the Dragon: The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Volume Eight ** Volumes 9 and 10 are awaiting publication. Further reading References External links *The Zacheriah Sarkhon Chronology *Poetry Reading: The Savage Tales of Zacheriah Sarkhon Category:Characters in pulp fiction Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1928 Category:Fictional English people Category:Fictional vampire hunters Category:Robert E. Howard characters Category:Superheroes